Anita Wati, who runs Aaron Auto Spares and Repairs in Laucala Beach, is moving beyond repairing vehicles to become a parts supplier for other workshops across the region — a strategic shift she says will cut costs, open a new revenue stream and turn her business into a community resource hub.
Wati stepped into ownership as the family operation grew; her husband, a mechanic with more than 30 years’ experience, originally ran the workshop alongside their son. The business was hit hard by the economic fallout from COVID-19, but Wati applied household budgeting discipline to the enterprise, trimming costs and stabilising cash flow at a time when many small operators folded.
A turning point came when she secured a loan through Business Link Pacific to buy a vehicle for the business. The new transport has allowed Wati to collect spare parts, visit clients and manage daily operations without relying on costly third‑party transport. “The car really assisted us with our day‑to‑day business,” she said, noting that savings on transportation translated directly into increased cash flow.
The boost in operational efficiency has helped grow the customer base, and Wati — a mother of four — says she is coping with the increased demand. She has identified bookkeeping as a skill she needs to strengthen and has agreed to attend upcoming training, with her husband encouraging her greater participation in business development activities.
Despite progress, the high cost of quality spare parts remains the major constraint on profit margins and service offerings. Wati said parts prices “just eat into profits,” limiting what she can provide customers and how competitively she can price repairs. Her response is a longer‑term plan to accumulate capital to purchase parts in bulk and supply them to other businesses in the region, reducing unit costs and creating a dependable local source for components.
If realised, Wati’s plan would transform Aaron Auto from a single repair workshop into a regional supplier and resource hub for small operators — a development that could ease supply bottlenecks and lower costs for other mechanics. It would also mark a notable step for female leadership in a trade sector where women remain underrepresented.
This account was first published in The Fiji Times in March 2025 with original content supplied by Business Assistance Fiji and has been edited for the 2026 International Women’s Day series. Wati’s move from stabilising survival to scaling supply illustrates how targeted finance, practical management and skills training can help family businesses recover from the pandemic and pursue growth.
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